Was I in the wrong as a Coangler?

[Chance_Taker4]

I had an tournament this weekend where I fished as a coangler. At one point mid day my boater decides to cruise do this canal was about 50 feet wide. He puts down the trolling motor and starts cruising down the shoreline. He tells me that he is fishing the right side of the canal then once we get to the end turn around and fish the other side. I noticed at or position I could easily flip to the other shoreline that my boater wasn't fishing and that shoreline had more cover and was shadier. I decided to fish that side while he fished the right side then once we get to the end I would fish the other side and vise versa. Everything seemed ok until I landed to decent fish during the initial pass. After I put the second fish in the livewell my boater said that I shouldn't be fishing that shoreline because the boater gets first shot unfished waters and I new his plans. I apologized and went back to fishing the same side he was fishing. I am a veteran when it comes to fishing as coangler and normally have no problems with my boaters. I have done exactly what I did in the past on this particular lake without any animosity from the boater. I try to allow boaters to get first cast to all targets and find a target that does not interfere with them. I thought the opposite shoreline was fair game for me since he was focusing on the other side. Was I wrong to do that?

[J Francho]

Meh, that's a boater call.  I think he was being petty because you caught fish.  You apologized, and adjusted.  You did everything right from that point on.  Should be water under the bridge.  Next time, you'll remember to ask.  Boaters might have differing ideas about what is "unfished" waters.  These situations are the exact reason I only fish team events.

[CarolinaBassN]

Have fished as a co-angler for many years, I have to agree with the boater on this one. He clearly told you he was planning on turning around and fishing the other side. By you flipping to the other side, you were essentially fishing in front of him. It was just water he hadn't got to yet. Ive made this same mistake myself while fishing boat slips. Boater was throwing a buzzbait between slips so I casted to the slips on the other side. He said you cant do that, Ill be hitting those next. Lesson learned. I have found over the years its best to just ask the boater up front and get clear expectations rather than take anything for granted. 

[Team9nine]

Where in the rules does it say the boater gets first shot at all waters? As long as you're not throwing ahead of or in front of him, you are fine in my opinion. It's a narrow space and he got to pick what side he wanted to throw to. If he moved slow enough, he could have fished both sides as he moved along. I would have kept fishing, limited out on his butt from the back deck and then sat down and ate lunch ?

 

[Catt]

I gotta agree with @Team9nine ?

[flatcreek]

1 minute ago, Catt said:

I gotta agree with @Team9nine ?

This guy is just a water hog. Like fishing in a torture chamber..

[Chance_Taker4]

29 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

Where in the rules does it say the boater gets first shot at all waters? As long as you're not throwing ahead of or in front of him, you are fine in my opinion. It's a narrow space and he got to pick what side he wanted to throw to. If he moved slow enough, he could have fished both sides as he moved along. I would have kept fishing, limited out on his butt from the back deck and then sat down and ate lunch ?

 

That was my thought exactly. I figured that since he essentially passed the spots they were free game to me.

[NittyGrittyBoy]

Your boater was being petty wanting all the fresh water. Tell him to go cry about it

[ohboyitsrobby]

I would've did the same thing you did. It's a tournament you were trying to win. You weren't casting over or around him. 

[NHBull]

As a boater, I believe you had every right to throw as you did, as long as it wasn't in front of him....

[Chance_Taker4]

Just to be clear I was not physically casting in front of him. He said since I knew his plan was to catch that shoreline on the way out I shouldn't have done it. There was no argument and he wasn't really rude about it. I just felt like it was free game since it was castable and he wasn't targeting that area at that moment.

[Logan S]

He told you his plan, what you did was effectively the same as casting in front of him -- You hit a target he planned to hit.  Sorry, gotta side with boater here.  There's some grey area in that he could have told you more specifically, but then again you also could have asked him first...

 

He could have avoided this by fishing both sides at once on the way in...But then he might have been labeled as a 'backseater' ? No-win situation for him.  

[Chance_Taker4]

8 minutes ago, Logan S said:

He told you his plan, what you did was effectively the same as casting in front of him -- You hit a target he planned to hit.  Sorry, gotta side with boater here.  There's some grey area in that he could have told you more specifically, but then again you also could have asked him first...

 

He could have avoided this by fishing both sides at once on the way in...But then he might have been labeled as a 'backseater' ? No-win situation for him.  

Not arguing and not being confrontational but essentially that means hypothetically if a boater were to swing on a fish and miss then proceeded to tell the coangler I'm going to move down to another dock and come back to this one later once the fish comes back and settles down the coangler shouldn't fire into that spot once the boater passes it and it is in the co's zone?

[Ratherbfishing]

Awww!!!  Did poor widdle boater not get his way?!!!  Unless there are established rules that divide the starboard and port side of the boat (as well as the front and the back), I think Mr. boater is demonstrating what I consider "bad form."  

[Troy85]

13 minutes ago, Chance_Taker4 said:

Not arguing and not being confrontational but essentially that means hypothetically if a boater were to swing on a fish and miss then proceeded to tell the coangler I'm going to move down to another dock and come back to this one later once the fish comes back and settles down the coangler shouldn't fire into that spot once the boater passes it and it is in the co's zone?

I agree with you.

Sometimes I'll fish a a shoreline from one direction, then turn around and fish it again from the opposite direction.  Based on his rule, If i were to do that with a co-angler in the back, the co-angler fishing behind me on the first pass, would be fishing in front of me for the second pass.  Of course this is an exaggerated example, and could never be enforced, but imo the logic is the same.

 IMO, as long as your aren't physically casting in front of him, and blocking his ability to cast without crossing your line, I don't see an issue.

 

This is why I only do Team tournaments.

[Logan S]

2 minutes ago, Chance_Taker4 said:

Not arguing and not being confrontational but essentially that means hypothetically if a boater were to swing on a fish and miss then proceeded to tell the coangler I'm going to move down to another dock and come back to this one later once the fish comes back and settles down the coangler shouldn't fire into that spot once the boater passes it and it is in the co's zone?

I've actually done that...Asked my co-angler to please not mess with a fish that I missed or am coming back to for whatever reason (like a bedding fish).  Flame-on ?.  None had issues with it BTW...

 

You asked a question and I answered, sorry you don't like my take on it.

[CroakHunter]

I agree with both of you. I can see why he said something to you about it and I can also see why you thought you were in the clear. But as long as you guys didn't have any confrontation and got on the same page then, no harm no foul. Lesson learned from both of you

[WRB]

I don't like any partner to cast the opposite side of my boat because it's distracting and makes it difficult for good boat positioning, plus don't like lure flying past my ear!

Back seater's setting in the back seat, not sharing the front, should't cast forward of the front seater, it's simply good sportsmanship and common sense.

Tom

[Chance_Taker4]

1 hour ago, Logan S said:

I've actually done that...Asked my co-angler to please not mess with a fish that I missed or am coming back to for whatever reason (like a bedding fish).  Flame-on ?.  None had issues with it BTW...

 

You asked a question and I answered, sorry you don't like my take on it.

I am in no way flaming you. I wanted everyone's perspective on this situation. However as being a boater and coangler at different times I have the opportunity to be in both shoes. While growing in my competitive career I was taught and still practice no matter where I am in the boat, once a target passes the center counsel it is fair game for the co. As a boater if I miss an opportunity to hit a target and it is within coangler guidelines (Counsel to motor) and he fires in and pulls out a kicker I will congratulate him and chalk it up to I need to be more observant and have better awareness. If I miss on a hookset again the co has the right to that water once it comes into his "window".

[Logan S]

I don't worry about console-lines or windows...I just tell my co's to use common sense and not skip ahead of me.  This means they have the freedom to cast forward when we're moving or fan cast off the back if fishing open water.  Seems to work out fine for me and the co-angler's I've drawn.  Out of several hundred tournaments I can count the number of poor co-angler experiences on one hand.  

 

The situation you described would fall into the 'skipping ahead' category IMO, especially since he told you he was planning on looping around.  Like I said originally, he probably could have explained it better...Good news is that it seems to be water under the bridge and not a big deal on the water.  

 

 

[NittyGrittyBoy]

So because they own the boat they get first dibs on any water they come across? 

 

Nah, you know what your getting into when you enter into a tournament with a co-angler. Get over yourself and quit crying because backseater caught fish

[Logan S]

2 hours ago, NittyGrittyBoy said:

So because they own the boat they get first dibs on any water they come across? 

Umm...Yea.  Unless you're paying me to guide you or we're out fun fishing, I'm getting first crack at the water we fish in a draw tournament.

 

FWIW, I don't cry when my backseater catches fish, I enjoy it.  I've already had 2 co's win the co-angler division of tournaments in my boat this year.  I was happy for them and we had a great time on the water.

[J Francho]

15 hours ago, NittyGrittyBoy said:

So because they own the boat they get first dibs on any water they come across? 

 

Nah, you know what your getting into when you enter into a tournament with a co-angler. Get over yourself and quit crying because backseater caught fish 

Mmm, yeah.  You don't like it, buy your own boat.  I'm all about the non boater getting into fish, and truly enjoy a day when we're both catching.  It means I'm probably doing okay.  But if you come on my boat with that cocky attitude, you'll be sure it's the last time.  Again, this is why I don't do draw tournaments.  An angler's attitude has little to do with boat ownership.  Keep in mind, people talk.  If someone gets a reputation for being difficult, they can get banned.  Boater, non boater alike.  I've seen it happen.

[Oregon Native]

21 minutes ago, J Francho said:

Mmm, yeah.  You don't like it, buy your own boat.  I'm all about the non boater getting into fish, and truly enjoy a day when we're both catching.  It means I'm probably doing okay.  But if you come on my boat with that cocky attitude, you'll be sure it's the last time.  Again, this is why I don't do draw tournaments.  An angler's attitude has little to do with boat ownership.  Keep in mind, people talk.  If someone gets a reputation for being difficult, they can get banned.  Boater, non boater alike.  I've seen it happen.

Like your attitude...too many hurt feelings now days. Sooo politically correct and so forth.  Maybe that's why Elites went the way they did.  Anyway..team stuff is good...fishing with one's self is good too.  But then it's probably hard to grow the sport without the draw format.

[J Francho]

5 minutes ago, Oregon Native said:

But then it's probably hard to grow the sport without the draw format.

You're probably right.  I just don't care for the format, and feel like it throws the non boater skills out the window.  Fish a team format with me, and you'll likely be up front with me pitching to targets, and covering twice as much water.